ISLAMABAD: The trial court that heard American journalist Daniel Pearl’s murder case and its witnesses received threats, the legal counsel of the journalist’s parents told the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan.
A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Mushir Alam heard the appeals filed by the Sindh government and Pearl’s parents challenging the acquittal of the previously convicted men by the Sindh High Court (SHC).
During today’s hearing, the legal counsel of Pearl’s parents, Faisal Siddiqui, said that the case was shifted from Karachi to Hyderabad due to threats. He urged the court to create a balance between the basic rights of the petitioner and the accused.
Omar’s legal representative Mehmood Sheikh, in his arguments, labelled the case as “false and a result of pressure”. He said that the United States had sent FBI agents to assist the murder investigation. “No country sends its investigative institutions after its ordinary citizens,” he added.
Speaking about the legal process that led to Omar’s sentencing, Mehmood said the witnesses produced by the prosecution gave contradictory statements during the investigation and in court.
Mehmood claimed that confessional statements were extracted from the suspects through torture. The counsel also argued that there was no evidence of any meeting between the suspects. The case was adjourned until Wednesday (tomorrow).
Daniel Pearl, 38, was doing research on religious extremism in Karachi when he was abducted in January 2002. A graphic video showing his decapitation was delivered to the US consulate a month later. In its April 2, 2020, order, the SHC had overturned the conviction of Omar Sheikh for killing Daniel Pearl.
